Immigration reform activists rally in downtown Orlando

THEY NEVER IMAGINED HE COULD GET ARRESTED FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS. THANKS SHAUN. ALSO DEVELOPING, RIGHT NOW, MORE THAN A DOZEN PROTESTERS DEMANDING IMMIGRATION REFORM GRAB THEIR CHAIRS AND BLOCK A BUSY DOWNTOWN ORLANDO INTERSECTION. THEY DON'T MOVE UNTIL POLICE DRAG THEM AWAY. NOW, THERE'S A VIGIL ASKING FOR THE RELEASE. LISA BELL IS THERE LIVE TONIGHT. LISA, A LOT OF ARRESTS EARLIER TONIGHT. BUT WHAT ABOUT AT THE VIGIL. NO, IT HAS BEEN PEACEFUL HERE THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT, GAARD, BUT ALL 15 PEOPLE WHO WERE ARRESTED ARE STILL IN THE ORANGE COUNTY JAIL. NOW, ORLANDO POLICE TELL ME THAT THEY GAVE THOSE PEOPLE SEVERAL WARNINGS BEFORE ARRESTING THEM ON A MISDEMEANOR CHARGE OF UNLAWFUL ASSEMBLY. AS DOZENS OF PEOPLE HOLD VIGIL OUTSIDE THE ORANGE COUNTY JAIL TONIGHT, M OREO PLANS TO BE HERE UNTIL HER HUSBAND IS SET FREE. I CRY BECAUSE IT'S THE FIRST TIME THAT I SEE HIM BEING ARRESTED BUT IN MY HEART I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS FOR A GOOD CAUSE. HER HUSBAND WAS AMONG 15 IMMIGRATION REFORM SUPPORTERS ARRESTED EARLIER TONIGHT AFTER BLOCKING THIS INTERSECTION OUTSIDE THE FEDERAL COURTHOUSE FOR ABOUT 45 MINUTES. ONE BY ONE, THEY WERE HANDCUFFED, SOME LITERALLY CARRIED OFF TO JAIL ON A MISDEMEANOR CHARGE OF UNLAWFUL ASSEMBLY. THE ARREST CAME AFTER ROUGHLY 250 PEOPLE MARCHED THROUGH THE STREETS OF DOWNTOWN ORLANDO DEMANDING CONGRESS ACT ON IMMIGRATION. ABSOLUTELY FED UP. SUPPORTERS SAID BLOCKING TRAFFIC SYMBOLIZED REPUBLICAN EFFORTS TO BLOCK IMMIGRATION REFORM. THEY SPECIFICALLY CALLED UPON HOUSE SPEAKER JOHN BOEHNER TO ALLOW A VOTE ON A BILL THAT WOULD CREATE A PATH TO CITIZENSHIP FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE HERE ILLEGALLY. THE GOVERNMENT IS SPEND ARE MORE TIME SHUTTING THEMSELVES DOWN THAN PASSING LAWS THAT WILL HELP PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY IN THIS COUNTRY. AND FOR KIDS LE ANA PINETA WHO WITNESSED HER MOTHER GET ARRESTED TODAY, IT AN ISSUE THEY WILL FIGHT FOR. I WANT TO SEE REFORM COME THROUGH. THAT'S WHAT SHE DID IT FOR. NOW, EACH OF THE ARRESTEES HAS 250-DOLLAR BOND EXCEPT FOR ONE PERSON WHO REFUSED TO STAND AND HAD TO BE CARRIED OUT BY OFFICERS. HE FACES ADDITIONAL CHARGE OF RESISTING AN OFFICER AND $600 BOND. RIGHT NOW, SUPPORTERS ARE GETTING AN UPDATE ON EACH OF THESE ARRESTEE BOND STATUS. LISA, WHAT ELSE DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE PEOPLE ARRESTED EARLIER? ARE THEY ARE ALL FROM CENTRAL FLORIDA? MOST OF THE THEM ARE BUT SOME DID TRAVEL HERE FROM AS AS FAR AWAY AS TAMPA, VERO BEACH AND CORAL GABLES. WE ALSO KNOW THAT THEY RANGE IN

ORLANDO, Fla. -

Police officers have arrested and removed more than a dozen immigration reform protesters from a street in front of the federal courthouse in downtown Orlando on Tuesday afternoon.

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Almost 20 activists were blocking traffic at a busy downtown intersection Tuesday afternoon after a march pushing for immigration reform. OPD Chief Paul Rooney said anyone blocking traffic would be arrested as dozens of officers tried to control crowd while arrests were underway.

One by one the sitting protesters were restrained with plastic cuffs and lifted to their feet. They were then placed in a police car. One protester went limp and was carried by officers.

In total, 15 people were arrested and charged with unlawful assembly, a misdemeanor charge.

Pictures from WKMG-TV's helicopter showed several activists sitting in a circle in the middle of East Central Boulevard, blocking the road.

Activists say it's part of a civil disobedience action geared at getting Republican House leadership to vote for immigration reform. The activists demand House Speaker John Boehner bring one of the immigration reform bills to the floor so congress can vote.

The activists are asking lawmakers to follow the lead of California U.S. Rep. Jeff Denham and support the latest House comprehensive immigration reform bill. Last weekend, Denham became the first House Republican to join the Democrat-backed legislation.

Farmworkers, students and their supporters are pressing GOP Reps. Dennis Ross, Tom Rooney and Daniel Webster to follow suit.

At 8 p.m. Tuesday, the activists will hold a prayer vigil outside the Orange County jail where the 15 protesters are being held.

OPD says they believe the people intended to get arrested, some of them even packing medication with them to possibly spend the night in jail.

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